President Obama’s pit-stop at Buckley Air Force Base Thursday accomplishes what could be perceived as a smart political move for a president visiting a state pivotal to his re-election.

Nestled in the heart of Aurora, Obama will speak about renewable energy on a base (where he usually lands on visits to Colorado) in the state’s third largest city, according to Census data.

It’s a city that has longed for its own congressional district. And now, after redistricting, is situated solely in the 6th Congressional District with a voting electorate evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.

It’s a trashy time for Denver as the city looks at possibly charging residents for residential refuse service to help the city fill a $30 million a year budget gap.

Some quick long division with the Denver’s 2012 budget book shows the trash and recycling service for Denver costs about $10 a month for the city’s 172,000 homes that receive it.

Specifically, the Solid Waste division’s operating and administrative expenses for recycling and trash was about $20.53 million this year. Divide that by the number of homes that get the service and the costs equal about $120 a year.

Now, money for the service comes from the general fund. Denver is considering adding a fee, but no decisions have been made, nor has the city determined a price. If it goes forward, that will all be hashed out in public by the mayor’s office and City Council.

Political expert Fred Brown told Chris Romer and Michael Hancock to consider their one-hour forum today at the Webb Building in front of city employees to be just like “a job interview.”

Each fleshed out what they would do differently. Romer told employees they can expect to take more furlough days in the coming year. Hancock said he would provide “retirement opportunities for those who are close to retirement.”

A standing room-only lunchtime crowd watched the two answer questions that focused specifically on what the new administration would do to cut the budget deficit, bring in new jobs and help workers to be more satisfied.

Romer reminded workers that Hancock voted a pay raise in for the incoming elected officials at a time when they are being asked to cut back.

Hancock said he doubts that any elected official will take the pay raise if the economy is still in trouble.

Both, however, praised the work of the city employees and said that they will depend on the employees’ knowledge about the city to help find ways to cut.

Hancock said the first thing he will do in office is to look at the recommendations of the financial task force. Romer said his first act in office is to convene a town hall with the city employees.

WASHINGTON — Fresh from viewing a half dozen photos of a battered and dead Osama bin Laden at the Central Intelligence Agency, Rep. Doug Lamborn said he will push the Obama administration to release them to the public as a lesson to the “bad people who want to kill Americans.”

The Colorado Springs Republican said seeing the photos gave him as sense of “finality and closure” to the ordeal.

“Every reasonable person accepts that he’s been killed,” said Lamborn, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “But when you see it for yourself, it makes it even more final. I think it shows once and for all how wrong it was in his narrative that he’s a strong horse … It shows how wrong he was.”

COLORADO SPRINGS — As Gov. Hickenlooper continued his economic development tour today, entrepreneurship emerged as a common thread in southern Colorado.

“Colorado should be able to call itself a center for entrepreneurship,” Hickenlooper said. “How can the state do a better sales job?”

During a meeting in Colorado Springs, conversation centered on attracting new businesses and promoting tourism.

A crowd of about 200 from El Paso, Park and Teller counties met with the governor at Cheyenne Mountain Resort here in Colorado Springs. Business owners, local and state officials, and a number of “concerned citizens” echoed sentiments felt earlier today during a meeting in Pueblo earlier today.

Attracting new businesses and supporting local employers were focus points during the meeting. Pueblo is the fifth of eight stops during the four-day tour that began on Friday. Hickenlooper is meeting with representatives from all 64 counties during his tour to promote his “bottom-up” economic development plan.

“We’re short funding for all things we hold precious,” Hickenlooper said. “We have no choice but to become pro-business.”

More than 100 local officials, business owners and community members from Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Lake, Las Animas and Pueblo counties met the governor at the Spradley Community Center in Pueblo.

Pueblo County is the only county in Colorado with a sales tax dedicated to economic development, according to Dan Centa, president of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation.

DURANGO — Gov. John Hickenlooper continues to meet larger than expected crowds during his economic development tour.

The second day of the Governor’s tour to promote his “bottom-up” economic development plan kicked off at the Strater Hotel in Durango, the third of the tour’s eight stops.

About 60 people were excpected to attend today, but more than 100 small business owners and regional employers from Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties discussed the area’s needs for supporting local businesses and creating jobs.

Yesterday the Governor spoke to a crowd of about 250 people in Fruita, about 100 were expected.

“The added distraction of filling out paper work and dealing with red tape keeps you from hiring the next person,” Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper is meeting with representatives from all 64 counties. After the tour each county will create an economic development plan geared toward creating jobs and supporting local economics. Those strategies will merged into 14 regional development plans in mid-May.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.